Rural mail-box support



March 3, 1931. 5. KEARNEY 1,794,713

RURAL mAILBox SUPPORT Filed Jan. 6, 1930 /3 INVENTOR.

W40 5. Kearney,

ATTORNEY.

i iPate'ntecl Mar. 3, 1931 r rum? skEARnEY, ,ionzoxron n, seem CAROLINA 13ml. Mia-Barman? i if. agitatemed-ar ay 6,1930. seea1 ..418,9 i. I

p y invention relates'to'improvementsin rural mail box supports; I

In accordance with my 111Vention,"I provide a rural mail box support embodying post to be set into the ground upon the far side of the ditch, at a suitable distance from the same, so that it will beout 'o'f theway and not struck by the'road machine 'when'the ditch 1s being scraped out'orotherwise repaired. A

the post, it is pivotally "supported, and can swing generally horizontally'in either direction, in limits. A. flexible element-1s secured to the far end portion of the arm, and 1s con+ nected with the post in such a manner that it i will windupon the vpost when the *airm is swung in either direction. This winding of the flexible element'upon the postser'ves to raise the near end portion of the arm-as 1t 18.

swung laterally in either direction, should the same be struck bya traveling vehicle upon the road, and due to "this raising'actlon, the arm will, when released, gravitateand return to the lowermost position, which is at a right angle to the longitudinal axis. of the road. The arm is made sufiiciently long. whereby it extends over the ditch and slightly over the edge or shoulder of the road and the free end of the arm carries the mail box, so'that the Figure 1 is a side elevatlon of a ruralmail box support embodyingmy invention,

Figure 2 is a plan view ofthe same, Figure 3 is a detailed longitudinal section taken on line 3-3 of FigureQ, 1

Figure 1 is a horizontal section taken on line 44 of Figure 1,

Figure i5 is a'transversesection taken on line5-5 of Figurel, f

Figure 6 is a horizontal line 6 6of Fig ure 3,'and,-

Figure-7 is a vertical section taken on line 7"7of Figure 3.-

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration, is shown a preferred 'embodi ment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates a road having a ditch: 6' atits edge or sho ulderJj l The numeral 7 designates alpost included a in my rural fmail box support. This post may be formed of wood, concrete or other suitable material. The post is 'prefejrably 'section taken on vertically arranged and is embedded in; the Y ground upon the far side of the ditch 6, and a suitably spaced from theditch so that the. post will'not be struck by a road machine, in

scraping out the ditch 6.

The numeral 8 designates an arm which is I normally generally horizontally arranged and disposed at approximately a right angle to the longitudinalaxes of the road 5. This arm may befo'rmed of a wooden beam 9,

which 'may be stiffened or reinforcedby hoardslO nailed to the vertical edges of the same, these boards projecting downwardly beyond the beam 9, as shown. \Vhile '1 pro fer to construct the arm 9 as above shown and described, yet the invention is not necessarily restricted to such construction, and I contemplate'making the same of metal or of any other material. A mail box 11 of any well known or preferred type is mounted upon the'near end of the arm 8. As shown in Figure 1, the arm'8 extends across the ditch 6 and inwardly beyond the same, so that themail box 11 is supported over the road adjacent. to its edge or shoulderpth'ereby rendering it possible for the postman to have access to the mail box without driving into the ditch.

' The beam 9, Figure 3', is provided at apoint between its endsand nearer its far end witha recess 12, receiving a socket 13, having a flange 14, at its lower end,'rigidly attached tothe beam 9 by means ofscrews 15, or the like. This socket is, generally elliptical in I, horizontal cross s'ection'and has a substanengaging a pivot element 19.

tially vertical near wall16' and an inclined far wall 17,the wall 17 extending away from the wall 16 in adownwardly direction. The side walls 18 of the socket are vertical. For co-action withthe socket 13, I provide an upstanding pivot element or pin 19, preferably having itsupper end rounded, and this I pin extends into the socket 13, and is of such 1 a diameter that 1ts opposite sides substan-' tially contact with the opposite sidewalls 18 of the socket. The pin ll'is cylindrical andis secured, at its lower end, to a base 20, which is rigidly attached to the to-p'of theipostl'f," by any ably held by the pivot elen1ei1t19 ata suitable suitable means. The arm ,8 ispreferelevation above the post 7 so that itwill not strike with the post during its swinging action. I l r The numeral 21 designates a diagonal flexible element which may be inthe form of a chain, cable or the like, and the upper end of this flexible element is attached to the far end of the arm-8. through the medium of an eye-bolt 2:2 or-any other suitable fastening.

At'its lower end, the flexible element 21 em? 11, gravitates to a normal central generallyhorizontal position, which is defined by the flexible element 21 and the vertical wall 16 Should th arm 8 be struck by a vehicle traveling upon the road, in either direction, the arm Swill be swung in the corresponding direction, and one end portion of the flexible element 21 will be wound upon the post 7, causing the near end portion of the arm to swing upwardly during its lateral movement. This upward swinging movement is rendered possible by the longitudinal elliptical shape of the socket 13, but when the pivot element 19 engages the inclined wall 17, the upward swinging movement is stopped; When thearm is released, it will gravitate to the lowermost central position and be retained in this position by gravity. When it is desired to remove the arm from the post, so that it will be out of the Way of the road machine scrapin out r the ditch or the like, such arm may be rcadily lifted from the pivot ele1nent19 and may be laid upon the ground at the far side of the ditch, and, of course, may be readily returned to position upon the post. In remov- 'loined claims' ing the arm from the post, it is not necessary to separate the flexible element from the post or the arm. 3

It is toifbe understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that variouschanges in the shape, size and arrangement of; parts, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the sub- I H aving thus described my invention, I claim-:'e" I 1 1, A rural mail box support, comprising a 'post, an arm pivotally mounted upon the post to swinghorizontally and vertically, one end of'the arm being adaptedto carry a mail box, and arelatively non-extensible flexible element attached to the, opposite end of the arm and secured to the post in such a 1nan ner that theflexible element will be wound upon the post when the arm is swung laterally in either direction, the winding action of the flexible element upon thel'post causing the 'armlto'swing vertically.

j 2. A rural, mail box support, comprising a post, an arm, means for pivotally mount ing the arm upon thepost so that said arm isfreely removable therefrom and is capable of swinging horizontally and vertically, and

a relatively non-extensible flexible element attached to one end portion of the arm and secured to the postin such a manner that the flexible'element is woundupon the post when the armis swung laterally,.the winding action'of the flexible element upon the post causing the arm toswing vertically, the'opposite end portion of the. arm beingadapted to support a mail box. V r V A rural mail box'f support, comprising a post, a pivotelementcarried by the post, a socket to receive the pivot element and havingits lower endopened and its upper end closed, an arm carrying the socket, one end portion of the arm-being adapted to support I a mail box, and a fiexiblefelement secured to the opposite end portion of the arm and connected to the post in such a manner that it will be wounduponthe post when. the arm is swung laterally, V

4. A rural'mail box support, comprising a post, an upstanding pivot element carried by the post, an arm having one end adapted to support a mail box, a socket. secured to the arm between the ends of the same, said socket having a bore whichfis generally elliptical providing a substantially vertical end wall and an inclined end wall, the socket being adapted to turn horizontally upon the pivot element and to swing vertically upon the same with the end walls limiting the vertical swinging movements, and a flexible element attached to the opposite end portion of the arm and having a forked portion embodying laterally in'either direction.

flexible side elements which are secured to the opposite sides of the post, the.ar ranggge-Iv mentbeing such that the flexible element is Wound upon thepost when the arm is swung In testimonywhereof I fliX my eigli atufe.

I :PHI IP K AR EY." 

